Next month's NIT will experiment with rules, incorporating elements of playing four quarters while staying with a two-half format.

The NCAA said Monday its rules oversight panel has approved resetting team fouls to zero at the end of 10-minute segments in each half, as well as doing away with the 1-and-1 free throw in favor or two foul shots on many fouls.

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Instead, teams will shoot two free throws after teams have reached a four-foul limit during each 10-minute segment and three fouls during overtime. The fouls will reset at the 9:59 mark of each half.

The possibility of playing a quarter system to mirror international basketball instead of halves has been a topic of discussion in the college game. The NCAA said in a statement the mid-half reset "may have the same effect" as resetting fouls at the end of 10-minute quarters while retaining "the unique format" of 20-minute halves.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes suspects it's "just a matter of time" before the college game moves to the quarter system.

"I think the rules we should be playing really as much as any would be the international rules," Barnes said. "They play quarters and reset (fouls) the same way. I'm just for having a universal game. I think the quicker we can get to that, I think it would help our game overall," he said.

"Even when kids get to high school, if they start playing with a shot clock, I think that would help their progression with it. Again, I just think from high school on it should be a universal game."

The NIT starts March 14 and ends March 30 in New York.

The panel also approved resetting the shot clock to 20 seconds, or leaving it the same if there was more time when play was stopped, instead of going back to 30 seconds when a team inbounds the ball in its frontcourt after a foul that results in no free throws. This would also include any technical foul against the defense or if the game is stopped for a player who is bleeding or has blood on his uniform.

The Men's Basketball Rules Committee wants to see if that increases the number of possessions in a game, and therefore scoring, the NCAA said.

The results of the changes will be reviewed during the committee's May meeting. The committee said other postseason tournaments can also use the experimental rules if they agree to gather data for the committee's review.